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Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Therese Anne Fowler

Start date: March 26, 2017

Finish date: May 30, 2017

Why we're reading this: Zelda was Scott Fitzgerald wife, and it seems she was swallowed by history as only her wife... the compli…more
[close] Zelda was Scott Fitzgerald wife, and it seems she was swallowed by history as only her wife... the complicated woman, the one that drove the writer to desperation... but was that just it? That's what I would like to find out :)

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May 28, 2017 Paloma rated it liked it

Shelves: reading-challenge-2017, romance, literatura-estadounidense, 2017-popsugar-reading-challenge, borrowed

For the first half of the book, the story is quite interesting and it keeps you trapped in the life of Zelda -when she first met Scott Fitzgerald, their romance and their marriage in spite of her parents disapproval, her first years together and the support she gave Scott while he tried to consolidate himself as one of the greatest writers. Fowler accurately builds the world of the Fitzgeralds during the 20s, both in New York and in Europe and that world were everyone seemed to be fascinated by For the first half of the book, the story is quite interesting and it keeps you trapped in the life of Zelda -when she first met Scott Fitzgerald, their romance and their marriage in spite of her parents disapproval, her first years together and the support she gave Scott while he tried to consolidate himself as one of the greatest writers. Fowler accurately builds the world of the Fitzgeralds during the 20s, both in New York and in Europe and that world were everyone seemed to be fascinated by them. But then, the second half of the book just completly falls apart -I felt the characters lost their spirit, that Zelda was just a woman complaining about a man who didn't love her and who gave her no credit for her writing and talent.
Now, I really have no knoweldge nor read any biography on the pair, but at some point I felt Zelda's character just to be only complaining and thus this seemed to be a little incoherent -wouldn't a woman who escaped an ordinarly, quiet, Southern life be more proud of the life she led? I don't know... but had I been adored by artists and society of the time, I would have not complained that much. Also... it thrills me the way Zelda depicts Scott (again, I have never read any bio or their correspondance) but I think the author portrays Scott as basically, a misogynist, self-centered man who only thought about his glory. Ok, I am pretty sure all great artist tend to be selfish and all of that but he did forgive Zelda's affair (and if we think this was the 1920's it was more difficult for a man to do that) and when she became ill... he stood by her. Any other man -young, famous- would have probably left her alone on an assylum and move on. But history tells us he didn't so, this Scott really makes no sense.
Also -and this is becoming a common complaint- I really think the narration in first person takes a lot of the potential and strength of the story. It just seems to me less objective, because we are seeing just one side of the story -and with such iconic characters as the Fitzgeralds, I believe this washes down what could otherwise been an amazing, powerful story. ...more

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